


Captain's Dance.

by Beckon



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Blood and Gore, Captain's Dance, Disembowelment, Far Harbor, Field Dressing, Gen, Mirelurk Queen, Rite of Passage, Slight spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-07-16 14:35:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7272088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beckon/pseuds/Beckon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This would not be the first dance she had had to do to earn someone else's respect, to earn someone else's trust.</p>
<p>Nora had danced with the Mirelurk Queen before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Captain's Dance.

Nora felt the slight chill of the fog at her back, the light rain on her neck as tired fingers gripped at her machete.

She didn't think the long blade would do much against a thick exoskeleton, but it was doing a fine enough job with each hollow whack. Her shotgun had damaged the Mirelurk Queen's shell earlier, eventually leading to the monarch's death.

Eventually leading to her hacking away at the _should-be_ tender underbelly.

The smell of the freshly killed Queen was unbearable; it was like salty sewage filling her nose- kind of like the small of rain on the beach, but far more potent and rancid. And if it wasn't one of the least offensive smells Nora had been subjected to, it would've had her bowled over, upchucking the Radstag she had munched on earlier.

But this... this was little more than a slight tickle against her gag reflex.

Just enough to make the muscles in her throat convulse for a few seconds before she swallowed through it.

Nora wedged the tip of the machete into the thin break she had cracked into the exoskeleton, before she shouldered the blade into the soft tissue inside. Rolling her neck slightly in anticipation, she dug her heels into the thick mud underfoot, before she pushed her weight against the machete's handle. The muscles of her back and shoulders strained as she pushed with what strength she could muster post-battle, before she heard the defining crack of the shell giving away.

She felt a heavy cough tear out from her chest at the rancid smell that rushed out at her, before she quickly held her breath and stepped back. Keeping a tight grip on her machete, she began violently pushing it back and forth until the damaged exoskeleton came completely apart. One hand grabbed at the loosened piece and wrangled it free, before she tossed it aside like a disc.

And now she had the opening she needed- a rather crude one, but still.

The stomach wall was still intact, and Nora was forced to use her machete to slice through the thin muscle.

Despite being freshly killed, a small rupture of gas from inside still caused the stomach to burst apart on her- spilling a mess of blood and organs into the thigh-deep water around her. Nora stepped back to try and avoid any other popping pockets of blood, and used one hand to swipe the thick mess of bloody mucus off of her chest piece. At the very least, the acid glands weren't damaged, so she wouldn't have to worry about those exploding on her. She had enough acid burns as it was.

Coughing still, Nora looked down and watched as long, thin organs spilled out in tangles around her legs. Swirling, and slithering out past her- creating images from old documentaries of the anacondas in the Amazon. Giant, slimy snakes of organs circled out around her, guided by the small waves created by the wind against the water's surface- giving a false impression of life to them.

Again, she wanted to gag, but managed to choke it back once more.

She wasn't done yet- this was only the start.

Moving back forward, Nora reached into the near empty cavity now, and pulled out any of the remaining organs- slick and sticky on her bare hands. They squeezed out fresh blood and salt water between her fingers. Not a texture she wanted to feel.

Breathing through gritted teeth to avoid further assaulting her sense of smell, she moved her hand along the still wet muscle wall. It felt slimy still under her fingers, thin and coarse, before the texture changed into something squishy and soft. Nora sank her fingers into the tender meat she had been digging for- the meat she had came all this way out for.

The Captain's Dance.

If she wanted to gain respect from the Harbormen... she could only bring back the best kind of meat there was. The best kind she knew of- and had access to on this remote, godforsaken island.

Nora didn't like the way the people of the docks stared at her- the way they sneered, and spat at her. But she had had her fair share of dealing with assholes- she had dealt with the Brotherhood after all; she hardly cared much for their behavior. The only reason she tolerated the Harbormen as they were was because she was here on a job.

She needed answers, and if doing _this_ would help her get them, than so be it. She had been in far worse situations.

(But as far as Nora was concerned, Allen Lee could choke on this soon-to-be Mirelurk steak).

This would not be the first dance she had had to do to earn someone else's respect, to earn someone else's trust.

Nora had danced with the Mirelurk Queen before, in the crumbled remains of the Castle's courtyard. She had danced in fear, desperately tried to avoid the burning acid, and skittering hatchlings that nipped at her ankles. Her fingers had danced with Preston's in the shadows of the Castle's corridors- waiting out the wailing storm of the Queen before they engaged in the final assault.

And she had danced in the fires that consumed the corpse, spinning with one person to the next in victory- still full of naive hope and warm beer.

Nora had danced with the Railroad in the ashen streets of the Institute's warfare, with the shadowed remains of Switchboard at her feet. She had danced with Glory in Malden, moving in time to the rhythm of Glory's minigun- feeling the heat of it at her side, and witnessing the power of it spread out in front of her. She had danced with Desdemona around the catacombs of the Old North Church, spending one too many nights crowded and sleepless.

But glad that she had chosen to be here, with _them_.

She had stepped on the toes of the Brotherhood, dancing out of rhythm with their concerns about Synths and the Railroad. Maxson's heavy, unchanging tempo had been difficult to keep up with. And while there were other officers on staff, Scribe Haylen, and Proctor Ingram, who showed a smoother, more appropriate rhythm, Nora simply couldn't do it. She tried, she did, but for her own sake, as well as for the Commonwealth's, she decided not to dance with them again.

So what was one more?

What was one more dance in knee-high water, with raw meat floating around her legs?

What was one more spin around with the Queen, who accented her steps with a deep, bellowing moan and shrieks of acid?

Her work was far from being over on this island.

Nora would eventually have to make her way back to Acadia, and dance a two-step with DiMA- to figure out his motive, and his strangely calm voice. Figure out why he felt the need to offer sanctuary here, so isolated and safe, only to turn around and badmouth the Railroad for the work that they were doing. He was a man of limited knowledge- as reluctant as he would be to admit that.

And then there were the Children of Atom to be deal with- a shaky, uncoordinated dance that she was not looking forward to. A strange ritual dance tiptoed around radiation and the Fog, around ATOM and a hidden nuclear submarine.

Nora stopped for a moment to catch her breath, giving her sore arms and shoulders a rest as she pushed her fingers through her hair. Never noticing, nor minding, the thick, congealed globs of blood and tissue she had pushed into her strands- creating a gory mess on the top of her head.

...

She thought about Shaun, and how he was coping with her absence.

The boy had been stuck to her hip since her final number with the Institute- following and shadowing her wherever she went. And it was a good thing his enthusiasm made him like a sponge for new information; he would need to learn how to survive in this world now. And while there was only so much that she could teach him... it would be enough to keep him alive.

He didn't like to be without her though- didn't want to waste a single minute.

But he was in good hands.

Tightening her grip on the machete, Nora moved back to continue cutting into the husk in front of her- using the blade to cut through the remaining tendons and membranes. She sliced her way further and further into the depth of the carcass, not happy to find that her entire torso was inside of the creature now. But she would need more of the meat that she had clawed out earlier- a lot more.

She thought of Preston, who would be filling in the position of General, all while awaiting her return just the same. She thought about how he had taught her how to survive in the Commonwealth first- how he had taught her how to do a field dressing, just like this one. And how he might've complimented her on her improved technique- although her skills with the machete could still use work.

And she thought about how he and Shaun had bonded well since the Institute- how they learned and bounced information off one another. Preston taught Shaun more about the Commonwealth than she could, often times filling in the blank spaces she left behind. And then Shaun would turn around and teach Preston about science and math, combining knowledge of both and discussing how it could benefit the Commonwealth.

Nora thought about her two boys and smiled to herself.

_"Dad said that he would take me tracking while you were gone," Shaun spoke, as he followed her from room to room as she tried to prep her traveling kit._

_There wasn't much information on where she would be going exactly- just that it would be a lengthy trip. Which wasn't as helpful as one might assume. So, she might be overpacking a bit, but she didn't want to risk being short on something. Especially nothing like ammo, or stimpaks- or even clothes should something happen to the ones she was wearing. Gone were the days of heavy luggage and a shirt for every day._

_Nora stopped in the middle of stuffing her bag with spare clothing, before she turned back to look at her blonde-haired son- smiling at his eager anticipation. Preston often took Shaun out walking, or hunting with him from time to time, and of course Shaun was eager to learn about everything around him. "Is that so?" she asked, using one hand to ruffle through his messy hair, before she headed out of the room and into the stone corridor. A few more steps took her out into the open, sunny courtyard- where she spotting her Commonwealth husband working on one of the generators that fueled power into the broadcasting system. "Preston-"_

_"It's just molerats," he promised, speaking over his shoulder as he was in the middle of replacing one of the fan belts- something she had taught him. And somehow Nora wasn't surprised that he seemed to know exactly why she came out looking for him. "Maybe Radstags if we find any, but we'll keep our distance. Nothing dangerous."_

_She knew that he knew the Commonwealth like the back of his hand._

_Preston had been born into it; he became it. There wasn't an inch of dirt that he hadn't already seen, let alone walked on- save for the Glowing Sea maybe. And even then she had dragged him out once or twice into the radiated land._

_She knew he wouldn't put Shaun in danger- he wouldn't knowingly put anyone in danger._

_"Sounds like you guys are going to have fun then," Nora smiled, before she decided to tease, "without me, just like always. You two just be careful, alright? I know you will, you always are, but just let me hear you say it."_

_"We'll be careful- promise," Shaun replied._

_"Minutemen's honor?" she asked._

_"Minutemen's honor."_

They were out having fun, tracking down Commonwealth wildlife.

And she was here, stuck in the middle of an oncoming rain storm, gutting her way through a Mirelurk Queen so that a bunch of assholes could tolerate her long enough to give her answers.

The machete sliced in through the next thin wall of muscle, before Nora got into the next deposit of tender meat. She came to realize now how the bulkiness of the machete was working against her now- but she didn't bring a knife with her, so she'd just have to make due. Grabbing a handful of the meat, she was half able to tear it out with her fingers, before she used the machete to hack through the thicker portion of it; the meat practically came apart in her hands. It was almost a delicacy back in the Commonwealth- she wasn't certain how, or why the Queen's meat was so tender, but she couldn't complain.

Asides from the struggle to down a Mirelurk Queen, the steaks did sell at a rather high price- making it easy to make a killing in Diamond City.

The dig put a hefty strain on her shoulders and arms, and sent dull pain down her back, but Nora continued to hack piece after piece after piece until she had accumulated a small pile in front of her.

Pulling out of the carcass, she let herself breathe in the semi-fresh air, and took a brief look around her. She had neglected to check her surroundings all that often, so she ran a high risk of being jumped by Trappers, or maybe vengeful Mirelurks.

Nothing but silence around her though.

Even her eyewitness had gunned it back home.

Wiping the sweat from her eyes, Nora dug the machete into the carcass before she partly swung her backpack around so she could access it. Fingers fumbled through the multiple pockets before she pulled out the old Boston Bugles she had tucked away. And like a butcher after a fresh slaughter, she wrapped up each hunk of meat in the paper and stacked them aside. She had gotten around twelve cuts in all, with each one big enough to be cut into three portions. A good enough feast for anyone.

Fingers yanked out an old pillow case from her bag next, before she transported the meat into it and knotted it twice. She dropped it back into her backpack, and wheezed slightly at the weight it put on her back. It was heavy on her frame, but gave the promise of a full belly in a few hours. Which was good enough motivation to push through the strain.

There was still plenty of meat left on the carcass, but she wouldn't risk taking more than she could carry.

She still had one more delicacy she wanted to snag.

Pulling her machete free, Nora hacked off a few legs and used an old rope to tie them together, before she strung them off the top of her backpack. Added weight, sure, but nothing she couldn't push through- and nothing too dangerous yet.

She couldn't begin to imagine how she might've looked to the outside eye right now. A heavy bag on her back filled with raw meat, and a couple of legs hanging off of her bag and dangling down to her knees. She probably looked like a Mirelurk herself from a distance.

Huffing, Nora looked around her once more, before she headed towards the closest piece of dry land she could find. The water and mud slowed her down further, and she feared that if she lost her footing now, there was no way she would be getting back up; all of the fresh meat would weigh her down. She strained the muscles in her legs as she forced her way through the water and through the floating carcasses of the previous, smaller Mirelurks she had taken to battle with before.

She hoisted herself onto the first spot of dirt and hurried as far away from the water as fast as she could. She had, thankfully, gotten her hands on an old marine wetsuit earlier, and made the right decision to wear it out to this battle. It was still a little uncomfortable on her frame, but she wasn't used to wearing a wetsuit- and since it had taken her a near half-hour to get it on, it was _staying_ on for now.

Working her way through the thick foliage, she tried to take the easiest path she could, and avoided climbing up any hills or rock walls. She could smell the raw scent of Mirelurk meat soaking through her bag now, and tried not to gag at the overwhelming scent. She couldn't imagine how she herself might've smelled right about now- probably worst than the Queen did.

Nora couldn't help but to think about Ronnie, and how the woman would've turned her nose up at her; how she would've muttered a few disgusted remarks, and then tell her to go clean up. Tell her that she needed to conduct and control herself for longer than ten minutes. She thought about how the people of Far Harbor would see all of this as a feast, a rarity of a meal- and how Ronnie would turn it all away.

The woman held a tough hatred for Mirelurks- she enjoyed killing them more than she enjoyed eating them. In fact, Ronnie outright refused to eat them; she had cut them out of her dinner plans for the past twenty years. Mirelurks were a commodity compared to the other wildlife; there was always plenty to go around, not to mention they were good eating when cooked properly. But that didn't change Ronnie's mind in the slightest.

Then again, this was the same woman who, as many believed, as well as many had witnessed, had killed a Radstag with her own two hands. Nora wasn't sure of the story's full details, but she had been told over and over again how Ronnie had snapped the neck of one of the heads- throwing the body into disarray before it dropped dead.

It sounded outrageous, given how erratic Radstags were up close, but... Nora had no doubts about it.

Ronnie could do whatever she wanted to, and no one in the Commonwealth could tell her different.

Nora hoped that one day she would reach that level of entitlement herself.

The long trek through the dense forest lands of the island wore down on her legs and back, but was made in near silence. At first, it was a little unsettling; it had her stopping every now and again to check her surroundings- half expecting something, or someone, to be sneaking up on her. But there was never anything there. As odd as it was, there were no mongrel dogs, or feral wolves drawn to the smell of blood and raw meat; no Angler hinging on a slow, hunched over prey- no Trappers even. It was just her and the fog right now.

After awhile, she just got used to it.

Figured it to be a blessing in disguise.

...

Nora felt relief as she spotted Far Harbor in the distance, and managed to convince herself to move a little quicker. She was tired, she smelled, and she wasn't certain if she could keep this wetsuit on any longer. The sound of broken asphalt under her feet was like music to her ears, as she weaved down the street to avoid potholes and abandoned cars.

She approached the town with the fog heavy at her heels, and her legs threatening to come apart at the knees.

She had a backpack full of raw, bleeding meat, and a slick coating of blood running down her back and down her arms. The blood on her hands had long since dried and became sticky between her fingers- making it difficult to wield a gun even if she had to.

Almost there though.

Approaching the city front, Nora promised herself a chance to catch her breath inside, where it was safe- only to stop as she caught movement in front of her. And she looked up to see the line of people standing on the Hull above her. Every gun of Far Harbor was aimed down at her, but the different faces all showed the same emotion- confusion.

"What in the world happened to you?" Captain Avery questioned, as she lowered her gun and leaned against the railing of the Hull. "We thought you were the Gulpers coming back again with all the noise and your shadow coming down the street."

She wasn't aware she had been making so much noise.

Maybe that was why everything had been avoiding her.

"I'm here to make a ' _piece_ ' offering," Nora spoke- managing only two more steps before she nearly collapsed under the weight of her own laughter. Maybe it was because of the fog that had chased her here, or the long journey home to the docks, covered in blood and grime; or just the impression all of it had made on her mental state... Either way, she couldn't stop laughing. Full body heaves that caused the Mirelurk legs on her back to rattle together- nearly overthrowing her balance before she caught herself.

And when she finally managed to calm herself down... she noted that the people around her had remained silent.

"Shaun would've laughed," Nora told herself out loud, perhaps in comfort, as she headed in through the now opening Hull door. "Preston too."

Stepping into the town, she gave out a sigh of relief and set her sights on the first thing that she could drop her bag down onto. And then tried to find the first thing she could collapse into next.

"So is it true, Mainlander?" the Mariner questioned, as she let the Hull's door slide closed for the night, before she firmly locked it in place. "You did the Captain's Dance?"

"It was more like a jig," she replied, hearing herself starting to laugh again. And judging by the resulting silence once more, Nora came to terms that she would not be making many friends here- regardless of the weight of meat against her back. Then again, she had already come to the conclusion that Far Harbor was not her kind of place anyways. She made her way over to Brooks' shop, where she fumbled with the weight of her bag for a moment, before she slowly turned back to the Mariner. "Help me unload this, would you?"

The woman shook her head, but offered a half-smile before she helped to pull the legs off of her back first.

"Christ woman, what did you kill?" Brooks questioned, just now returning to the front of his shop- only to have the Mariner hastily shove the newly freed Mirelurk legs at him. He fumbled with the sudden cargo for a moment, before he quickly placed them on the counter space next to him.

"You wanted a Captain's Dance, so I danced a little for you," Nora replied, waiting for the last leg to be removed, before she hoisted her backpack off her shoulders and swung it onto the counter. It landed with a wet sort of sound- drawing a grimace from both Brooks and the Mariner. She tugged the bag open and pulled the now thoroughly soaked pillow case out as well. She borrowed the knife on the Mariner's belt to cut through the material, before she began unloading all of her cuts.

"There's enough food for three days- at least," the Mariner remarked.

"More if we ration, and preserve it," Brooks replied.

"Yeah well, those Mirelurk Queens are just full of the stuff if you know how to gut 'em," Nora spoke, as she dropped the both her of her now empty bags to the ground. "Lets get this meat weighed and cut up- get some fires going, I don't know. What do you guys normally do for a Captain's Dance? I figured there'd at least be, you know, a little celebration, or something."

And she watched as the both of them glanced at one another, before they offered subtle shrugs.

"Never had one before- not in my lifetime at least," the Mariner offered.

Nora frowned slightly at the remark. Teddy had said that people very rarely completed the Captain's Dance, but... she guessed she figured more people would've heard about it. Or at least successfully completed it. Then again, with the talk around the docks, it had been a rough couple of years lately- no one probably had the time, nor resources to pull it off.

So yeah... this was probably a big deal to everyone.

Especially judging by the talking behind her as more people seemed to be coming out onto the docks to bear witness.

"Here she is, the woman of the hour," Teddy spoke, as he came up from behind her. "I knew you could do it- I knew it. Here she is people, the Mainlander completed the Captain's Dance!"

There was a mix of scattered murmurs, and loose clapping.

"It's true, I saw it!" Dottie, the man who had followed her out there, confirmed. "She did all three steps and took down the Queen herself!"

Nora often wondered if Dottie had seen her get side-swiped by that Queen, and swallow a mouthful of nasty salt water. Or if he had saw her throw it all back up a few seconds later. If he did, he kept his mouth shut about it- which was good. Although, in hindsight, he probably thought she had died. Which probably would not have been the thing you would've wanted to report back to Far Harbor about.

_'The Mainlander got herself impaled by the Queen- that poor, unfortunate bastard.'_

"Alright, Mainlander, looks like you got the night set up for yourself," Captain Avery started, loosely clapping with the crowd around her. "Unfortunately, that won't make you the new Captain of Far Harbor, but it'll certainly make you more than just a Mainlander. Why don't you... clean yourself up, and we'll get Brooks and Teddy to handle things from here."

"I got a shower you can use," the Mariner offered, before reaffirming, "rather, you _need_ to use."

She was slathered in blood, guts, and globs of mucus- not to mention raw meat, and broken shell pieces. It was no wonder someone didn't take the shot from the Hull while she was coming down the street.

"What? You don't want me to celebrate in the dressings of battle?" Nora questioned.

"Not particularly, no."

Honesty was a cruel bitch.

Still, Nora was thankful for the offer, considering she had just remembered the dried blood in her hair, and how it had dressed down the back of her neck. She left the docks long enough to grab a spare set of clothes from her boat, before she hurried back to the Mariner's place to shower. And here she was thinking she'd have to jump into the water by the docks, and hope that she got everything out.

Instead, she got a semi-furnished shower that offered lukewarm water at best- and even a bar of soap to scrub all of the blood and mucus off. The Mariner said she could just keep the soap for herself after she touched it.

Once she was certain she was halfway presentable again, Nora dried off and redressed in her harness attire- taking care of a few injuries while she was at it. The sound of music could be heard while she was in the shower, and she smiled to herself as she heard it get louder and louder as she made it back out onto the docks.

The night turned into one of freshly cooked meat, and fresh beer from the bar- of Mitch leading the people into different songs, no matter how inebriated he was. After awhile it turned into a rhythmic slurring that Nora still took enjoyment in listening to; with a crowd of people, one could almost identify the song being sung- _almost_. It seemed pretty evident that this was the first time the people of the harbor had laughed in a long time. It was certainly the first time Nora had heard them anyways.

For once, there wasn't a fog of arrogance, or self-righteousness sucking the souls out of everyone.

Once the drunken singing had worn off, and Mitch and most of the singers had fallen asleep in their chairs, Nora had Brooks crank up the radio instead. And she spent her time dancing with anyone who was awake and willing to- the Mariner, Cassie, even Captain Avery. It was the first time in awhile that she had let herself relax and live a little. It brought back memories of the Castle, of the first Queen she had taken down- of the drunken dancing and laughing, and waking up in the courtyard grass the next morning with her first Commonwealth hangover.

It was well into the early morning before Nora stumbled out onto the docks and headed for her boat, where she had the intentions of crashing for a few hours. She laughed to herself as she nearly had to crawl into the boat to avoid accidentally falling into the water. She was going to regret this in the morning, that she knew for sure, but... until then, she would let herself enjoy the mess.

Nora made it a step into the small Captain's quarters, before she stopped as the radio on her belt started buzzing. She had taken it off during the fight with the Queen, and had only slipped it on after her shower- figuring someone might try to contact her. Or at least, she might've had plans to contact someone herself if the signal would reach. Fingers picked up the radio as she hobbled back out onto the boat.

"This is the General speaking," she started- hoping she sounded more sober than she actually was. Because if it was Ronnie on the other side of the line, she could basically kiss returning to the Commonwealth goodbye.

"Mom, you're not going to believe this, but I saw a Deathclaw today!"

Nora felt herself freeze at the words- felt herself almost sober up completely, before she offered a brief laugh. Shaun sounded so excited, almost too excited, to basically see death on two legs. "Is that so? Well, Mr. Science, what kind of Deathclaw was it then?"

"An Albino- and it was really easy to see too!"

"Well how about that. It took me months before I found an Albino," she replied, as she paced the small area of the boat to keep herself awake and engaging. Her head was still a little floaty, but she could keep her balance well enough. And if not, there was a high railing around the boat she could grab on to. "Is your father there? Can I speak to him for just a moment, please?"

"Yeah, sure thing." there was a bit of silence, followed by shuffling on the other end, and then the muffled sound of Shaun calling to someone in the background. "Dad! Mom wants to talk to you!"

And Nora smiled slightly as she heard more shuffling, and wondered what exactly was going through Preston's head right now. Was he anticipating Shaun to call her to relate the 'good' news? Or was this supposed to be one of those 'Mom doesn't have to know' ordeals?

"It was from a distance," Preston spoke before she had a chance to. "And we got out of there as soon as I realized what it was. Deathclaws don't normally venture in that far, or close to the Castle, or the city, so... I wasn't expecting it."

"Well, I figured since he was alive enough to call me, then there was no reason to be worried," Nora started, as she looked out across the open water around her. There was still the faint sound of music coming from the docks behind her, but the water was quiet; it was still. "Plus, you know your way around Deathclaws-"

"Thanks to you," he quickly reminded. "I only ever saw two of them before you came along- then I was seeing one every other day it felt like."

Nora chuckled at the teasing accusation. She wouldn't say that she was some kind of Deathclaw magnet, but she had a tendency to be in the right place, at the wrong time for them. "I taught you how to take them down though," she spoke.

"Didn't like it," Preston replied, giving off a quiet sigh on the other end, before it trailed off into a light chuckle. She imagined he must've had a long day working around the Castle, and keeping Shaun entertained- not to mention keeping Ronnie appeased just the same. It was a hard job, not everyone could do it; but they could. "I miss you, you know."

"I miss you too," Nora smiled lightly, as she leaned back against the creaky railing behind her. She looked back to the docks, still lit up with lights and still putting out plumes of smoke from the fires. She thought back to the battle with the Queen, how it was just a start to get people talking, to get answers. She thought of Acadia, and the mysteries that still circled the observation tower; the mysteries of DiMA, and his small clan of Synths. She thought of the Children of Atom, and their obsession with the Fog- of the hatred that they cultivated in Far Harbor.

She thought of Kasumi, who was the reason she was out this far from her own family in the first place. She thought of her parents back home in the Commonwealth, worried sick over her absence. And she knew it wouldn't be simple, it wouldn't be easy to see this through to the end. She would have to do right by both parties- not just one.

She thought of Nick and Ellie, who were probably waiting for her return- with hopeful success.

"I'll be home soon."


End file.
